Hi, friends! This week's episode of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist was a fun one, and really allowed our star Jane Levy to continue to shine, and gave a breakout plot to John Clarence Stewart, making me insanely excited for next week's episode. I saw a lot of flack on Reddit and Twitter saying that this episode was almost too 'weird' and outside the realm the show usually resides in, and to that I say: Oh shush! It was delightful! It was silly! It was perfect. *insert obligatory spoiler alert* Last week we met Aiden, Zoey's super handsome neighbor who has an Australian accent for absolutely no reason. He reminds me of a less douchey Russell Brand in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. He and Zoey play some wii tennis and he details his extraordinary life of doing "shrooms on the beach" and then performs 'Unwritten' with his beautiful voice in his beautiful cardigan. Swoon swoon swoon. From this brief conversation/heart song with Aiden, Zoey decides she needs to make a list of possible rebellious activities she can do. Because nothing says rebel like a to-do list! She takes the day off work so she can get to crossing things off the list, and by doing so she misses the return of the "completely innocent" Danny Michael Davis at Sprq Point! Zoey heads over to Aiden's, where he suggests they get a little wild by doing ~drugs~. Now, their drug of choice is not specified, but it's just a little pill they wash down with water. Zoey describes herself as "not really a drug person" (same) and panics as her friends immediately begin to call her asking for various forms of assistance just as she's begun her one true moment of rebellion. Max needs Zoey to come over for breakfast tomorrow because his dad is in town ("He loves you!" "He always gives me the good floss.") and Simon calls because there is some serious shit going down at Sprq Point and he needs some advice. Advice our little Zo-Zo isn't able to give because she's going to be trippin' for the next 8 hours. Danny Michael Davis calls next because he needs Zoey at work, but YOU GUYS! IT IS HER PERSONAL DAY! Let her do drugs with her hot neighbor in peace! When Zoey insists she cannot come into work, DMD comes to her and ends up taking some pills as well, which leads to all three of them singing 'Starships' and dancing down the street and then scouring Zoey's freezer for popsicles. At Sprq Point, the big issue at hand is that the Chirp isn't recognizing people of color through Face ID, which is very very not good. DMD asks Simon to handle it, since he is now the PR guy, and assure the press that they will get it under control. Simon faces an internal conflict here: the Black guy has to smooth over the issue that occurred because of white people. The whole thing makes him feel super icky, and he asks Mo and Tatiana (the Wired reporter for last episode) for advice, but they give conflicting answers. Meanwhile, Max and his dad (who looks just like him by the way) are at odds because his dad has always wanted him to go into the family business of...dentistry. Max explains his new restaurant idea and his dad isn't super into it, which in all fairness, does just sound like Doordash but with a place to sit down and order drinks. His dad ends up giving him money but his stubborn ass doesn't take it because he only wants an investor who actually believes in the idea. To which I say: TAKE THE DAMN MONEY! Following Maggie's rejection of him last week, Roger is on a cold streak when it comes to her landscaping ideas. Jenna isn't having any of his bitterness, and ends up pouring soil in his car (I think). Maggie tells Jenna how insanely immature this is (it is) and then fires her because if she doesn't Roger is gonna fire her. Jenna throws a whole ass fit and decides to do what Emily said she does best, run away. Maggie and Jenna make up by the episode's end, but Jenna still decides to leave, which is awkward and kind of confusing but also realistic. Like, I thought we were in store for more Jenna, but if her character is a classic hit-and-run personality it makes sense that at the first sign of trouble she'd take off. She did make a pretty adorable photo wall for Miles in his nursery, though. Zoey momentarily decides to stop caring so much to avoid getting hurt or sad, which encourages DMD to want to sell Sprq Point and inspires Aiden to look up how long he could live on just popsicles (a month, if you were also wondering). After a back-and-forth with Max, Zoey realizes people need her to care, and she tries to convince DMD to not sell Sprq Point because it would screw a lot of people over. He's going to think about it. Something tells me this is going to come back in future episodes. When the time comes for Simon to address the media about the Chirp, he ultimately decides to share his disappointment in Sprq Point. He explains that the leadership at SP being so incredibly white-washed has led to this 'oversight', and that things must change in order to avoid things like this happening in the future. I'm so proud of Simon, and it's such a great scene for John Clarence Stewart. I don't know what the best course of action was for Simon to take. Should he have just did what DMD told him to do, or should he have spoken from the heart like he did? It's not fair to have such a huge PR fail lie on the shoulders of the token Black man in the office. Next week: The repercussions of Simon's words come to a head before we get a two month-is break. What did you think of this week's episode? What flavor popsicle is your favorite? Will you miss Jenna? Let me know in the comments! XO, Em
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Zoey Learns The Do's And Don't's of Firing An Extraordinary "Employee" (Season 2, Episode 4 Recap)1/27/2021 Hi all! This week's episode of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist was a refreshing trip back to our Season 1 days, where the love triangle was very much in play and so were Zoey's hilarious antics. Grief is still in the air, but subdued to make us smiler a little wider and laugh a little harder this week. Let's dive in, why don't we? *SPOILERS AHEAD* Something I looked forward to in this episode was a more prominent plot for Zoey's brother, David (Andrew Leeds). I love his character and the character of his wife Emily (Alice Lee). Their relationship seems very organic and a perfect mix of bickering and genuine love. The past few episodes have given us a glimpse into their lives as new parents, and it was refreshing to see David express his disinterest in his job and want to be a better father, especially after losing his own. David is about to (hopefully) win his 100th case, but during so he bursts out into Queen. It's a good thing his sister has superpowers and see his obvious hurting and confronts him about it. When he brings up quitting to Emily, she is confused and upset, because they want to buy a house! And they need two incomes! And it's a drastic life change! But she eventually comes around once she realizes just how unhappy he is. I love communicative, happy adult relationships. Go David and Emily! Things Zoey absolutely said this episode: "You could charm my pants off." If you guessed the she said this to Simon, you'd be 100% correct. Our girl Zoey is finally feeling settled in her management position (although we miss you, Joan!), when Leif informs her that she needs to fire 10% of the fourth floor. Chaos ensues; Tobin immediately begins flirting, Leif assumes the female coders are done-zo, and Zoey begins awkwardly firing her employees. Leif enlists Yasmin to pull up a progress tracker for each of the coders so Zoey can see their productivity rates. At the bottom? George. Zoey works up the courage to let our new friend go, while he goes on a rant about his sweet dead abuela. Zoey feels terrible, and I feel for Zoey because if you asked me to fire someone I would 100% cry and end up firing myself instead. There's a subplot about Simon having a meeting with a journalist about the company and it goes really well for him so he sings 'Juice' by Lizzo and it's incredibly charming and I hope they bring in a new character to date him because I still do not ship him and Zoey, #oops. In another subplot, Maggie is getting hit on by the guy that she is working for and she doesn't see it, but Jenna does! Still not sure the point of Jenna's character but I'm assuming it'll be explained at some point? Why not just get Maggie a friend her own age? We couldn't bring back Howie? I'll stop asking questions now. Anyway, this man (whose name I have already forgotten) asks Maggie out and she's like "My husband just died, man whose name I forgot." and he's like, "Well, we all have to move on eventually." And I'm like...awkward. In case you're wondering, she says no and admits to Jenna that she could see what he was doing all along, but was hopeful she was wrong. She doesn't know how to be without Mitch. Sad. Mo and Max are working on opening their restaurant which seems to be a way speedy process than real life but alas, #television. Max feels like he is doing all of the work and Mo is just making drinks and singing karaoke (They sing 'Opposites Attract' and it is fire). One of the recipients of Mo's many drinks is Zoey, who gets a little wasted and 1) flirts with Max by unbuttoning the very top collar button on her blouse 2) flirts with Simon by referring to him as 'a very handsome person' (she is not wrong) and 3) drunk re-hiring George. Great decisions are being made! Hungover and regretful, Zoey returns to work the next morning realizing the mistakes she has made and meditates with Simon in her indoor shades before attempting to fire George for the second time this episode. Georgieboy does not take it well, singing a Britney song that references ANOTHER Britney song within it which feels way too meta. Zoey tells George that she is 'freeing' him instead of firing him, which means she has officially gotten the hang of firing people! Simon tells Zoey at one point that, "Scars remind us of the battles we fought" and I probably definitely cried, and Emily sings David a song about standing by him no matter his choices and I might 100% shed a few more tears. As we close the episode, we hear loud drumming from a neighbor's house that is driving Maggie insane. She says Aidan is back home living with his parents. Who is Aidan? Aidan turns out to be this incredibly handsome neighbor boy who is playing 'Sex and Candy' and just ummm...just look at the picture I've attached. Zoey is like "Oh hot damn" and I'm like "Not a love SQUARE!" Share your prospects with us, Zoey! Upon further research the actor who plays Aidan is 22 (date me) and Jane Levy is a whole 31 years old which is not to say age differences don't exist in the television world, but I'm thinking this mans is going to serve as yet another distraction and give Miss Clarke some much needed ~relaxation~ in the form of 1) (meaningless) sex and 2) candy (DRUGS!). What did y'all think of the episode? Do you think Aidan poses a threat to the Simon/Zoey/Max triangle? We have two more episodes before the midseason break: what are you hoping for? Let me know in the comments! XO, Em Hi, friends! If you watched this week's episode of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist then you already know that it was a lot darker than last week's cuteness. This is in no way a bad thing, a show where the story heavily revolves around a young woman losing her father isn't going to be bright and happy all the time! So without further ado, let's dive into this week's episode, where Zoey's dreams are about to get the best of her. As always, this is a SPOILER ALERT WARNING. If you have not yet watched Season 2, Episode 3 of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, "Zoey's Extraordinary Dreams", I would suggest bookmarking this and saving it for later. You know the episode is going to be nuts when it starts with Jane Levy singing. My favorite episode of the series, "Zoey's Extraordinary Glitch" was an hour-long Jane Levy concert and a look into the glitchy side of Zoey's musical powers. This episode has a similar theme, only the glitch isn't in real life, but instead in her dreams. Honestly, 'dreams' feels like too nice of a word to use for what Zoey is experiencing. Homegirl is having nightmares. In her nightmare she is frantically singing "Nowhere to Run" in an empty room, desperately trying to, well, run. She wakes up out of fear and then struggles to sleep the rest of the night, resulting in drinking Big Gulp sized iced coffees to get her through work. Zoey is spiraling. Zoey is depressed. Zoey needs a break. But Zoey just entered a brand new relationship and got a promotion, so she's not getting anything that she needs right now. Max wants her to move out of her mom's house to regain a sense of independence, and she agrees, but is scared to leave her mom alone. Maggie is in a dark place too, singing 'Someone You Loved' (I love you Mary Steenburgen, but guys can we please dub her voice with someone else's? It's getting painful up in here) and not giving it her all at work. Luckily, Jenna (Emily's sister) is here to help bring back Maggie's artistic energy! I guess she is an important character now! She has a good voice. At work, Zoey confides in Simon ("Question: Is sleep important?") about her twisted nightmares, which he insists are normal and will pass eventually. What he should suggest is some ~therapy~, but I'm hoping that will be brought up later. This whole episode does a good job of showing that Zoey is struggling but not totally willing to admit it or to dive deeper. Her mother is hurting but is looking forward, her brother is sad but has a new baby to distract himself with, and Zoey's got a new boyfriend and job title but those things seem to be hindering more than helping her. All which could/should be addressed in ~therapy~. Question for y'all (and Austin Winsberg): What is Zoey's zodiac sign? I'm going to go with Gemini. She seems like an air sign. Don't make fun of me, just place your guesses in the comments please. We have two, well, three subplots that give us a tiny breather from Zoey's personal Hell. First off, Mo and Max are looking for a building for their non-restaurant, during which Eddie and Mo break up because of his damn cruise. Second, David and Emily are still very tired due to baby Miles, and Jenna wants to do a family portrait series for their house ("I forgot you're into photography now."). And last, but certainly not least, the Brogrammers are under fire once again for their sexist ways. They're forming some sort of softball league, and Tobin ordered jerseys that look...well just go take a look yourself. Zoey's criticism leads to the Bros dancing it out to 'Hard Knock Life' and being very generally grumpy. Tobin looks hot in his muscle tee. Zoey decides to make them all friendship bracelets to apologize for being so harsh. Perhaps the most important story this episode (besides nightmare-gate) is the ultimate downfall of Zoey and Max's new romance. I think I wrote in my notes seven times, "Zoey needs to be alone right now." And I don't mean that in a isolation type way, but I really do think a relationship is going to do more harm than good, and this is coming from someone who adores Zoey and Max together. Zoey needs family and friends to help her through this time. Simon has been great at being someone to talk to, and Mo is just always great at being Mo, but Max expecting a healthy relationship at the lowest point in Zoey's life is unfair, and is just setting them both up for disappointment. He's frustrated because she won't let him in, she's frustrated because he wants in so badly. Max's reasoning for wanting to know everything Zoey is thinking is fair; she can hear his inner most thoughts through song, and he can't even get her to talk about her very obvious struggles. There's a power imbalance and it's a recipe for hurt. Max launches into a heartbreaking rendition of 'Say Something', pleading for Zoey to give him some kind of answer. Does she want this? Does she want him? What does she need? But she is detached and silent. Here: Watch Max sing his heart out and then go grab some tissues because you will most certainly cry. Max does come off a little over the top in this episode, but I get why the writers wrote him that way. Max has been in love with Zoey for a long time and finally has the relationship he's been hoping for, it's just the absolute worst timing possible. It's hard to watch him realize that and continue to push Zoey to no avail. That's why I'm glad their eventual 'breakup' (in quotes because was it even one? Their time together was so short.) was mature and mutual. Max knows Zoey can't give it her all, and Zoey knows she has to take care of herself right now
I'm okay with the quick demise of #Clarkeman, only because I have hopes that it's an unfortunate situation of 'right person, wrong time' and that they'll find their way back to one another at the right time. I want Zoey to take time getting the help she needs without rushing into an immediate romance with Simon, who should maintain a close friend and close friend only at this time. Zoey needs friend Max back for the time being. What did y'all think of Zoey and Max's short-lived romance? What's Zoey's sign? Should Jenna just go stay at Maggie's to give David and Emily some much needed space? Let me know in the comments! XO, Em Hi, y'all! I can't say enough how much I freaking love this show. It has all the right things: moments that makes you laugh, cry, want to sing along, cringe, etc. It's just something that brings me so much joy that the whole world pauses for an hour on Tuesday nights as I immerse into the world of Zoey and her friends' musical thoughts. This episode is one of my favorites this show has done thus far, so if you haven't seen it yet STOP! Because this is an official spoiler alert warning! We pick up right where we left off with Max and Zoey about to ~get it on~ for the first time. Zoey's mom Maggie accidentally disturbs them when she arrives with popcorn for TV night with her daughter. Too comfortable openly discussing Zoey's sex life, she leaves them to it, but of course the moment is ruined. Zoey vows to plan a perfect date night for their first time, which means: what could go wrong? David and Emily come over and give their own two cents on the Max v.s Simon debate, David pointing out that Max has put in a lot more time and effort into his relationship/friendship with Zoey than Simon. He's not wrong. Emily's sister shows up with breakfast burritos and it's an awkward moment as everyone gathers at the Clarke household bright and early. Emily starts singing 'Poison' which is an entire mood all of the time. Turns out her sister is a little more spice than sugar, and Emily wants everyone to know it (but only Zoey truly hears it). As Zoey returns to work, it is so nice to see her goofy side again as she's been really down and out the past few episodes (and rightfully so). She has a lot on her plate as the new watches at SPRQ are literally catching fire on their customers' arms. She confronts Leif, who blames it on Mercury being in retrograde which honestly, fair argument to make. Our fave coders have a meeting with THE Danny Michael Davis (who is still on house arrest, by the way) who makes Tobin go outside and promotes Simon to head of PR ("I mean my expertise in marketing but okay"). And that's all for Simon this episode! (But it looks like he gets to be front and center next week so...) Back at Zoey's apartment, she and Max are finally having their romantic dinner date when Mo interrupts from his apartment, blasting opera and being sad. The vibe is very much dead and Zoey vows to figure out what's wrong with Mo so that she and Max can do the dirty. At this point, I'm thinking to myself "these two are never going to sleep together". Max mentions that Mo was acting weird earlier when he tried to get him to sign the business contract (Mo was acting weird), so Zoey says she will solve it because remember she can ~hear people's thoughts~. So Zoey confronts Mo baby, who is very dismissive but also definitely angelically sings 'Too Good at Goodbyes' by Sam Smith. Zoey doesn't get much out of him, but I realized that we have the same record player! At SRPQ, Leif sings 'Baby Did a Bad Thing' which is equal parts adorable and cringey. Poor Leif (I think? He's come a long way from the pilot, y'all). I guess Leif feels guilty for being irresponsible while Zoey was away and he was in charge. We love character growth. Max and Mo finally sit down and have a heart to heart, where Mo reveals he had attempted to go into business with a friend once before, but things didn't work out so well because he ended up being selfish and sabotaging his friend. Max has faith that Mo won't do that again, so they make up and decide to go ahead with their business venture. Aww. There's a whole C plot where Maggie and Jenna (Emily's sister) become pals and decide to babysit Miles so that David and Emily can have a night out. It's kind of an odd pairing but it's fine. With everyone out of the house, Zoey decorates her childhood bedroom (hiding the giraffe!) as a surprise for Max. Y'all. Skylar Astin (Max, duh) is SO hot. He is just the most gorgeous human. Okay so, he prefaces their sexy times by explaining he went to see a therapist about Zoey's whole hearing songs issue so that if he sang, it would be under control. The only problem is his 'distraction' song is 'Take Me Out To The Ballgame' which is just like...so f'ing awkward. Zoey and Max undress as Max goes back and forth belting 'I'll Make Love To You' and then trying to maintain his cool with the 7th inning stretch anthem. Zoey is frustrated, and I feel bad for her because this poor woman can never have sex again. Jane Levy is a powerhouse in this episode, because Zoey says so many cringe-worthy, awkward things that she sells so well without coming off as overly quirky. She's human! And an awkward one at that. Zoey tells Max that the singing doesn't bother her, and that she would rather hear him sing from the heart than be taken out of the moment trying to think about baseball. He feels like he's missing out because he can't hear her thoughts but she can hear his, which is very fair and kind of super invasive on Zoey's part even if it is on accident. When he begins to sing, 'A Moment Like This', Zoey makes it up to him by DUETTING HIM! He's like "girl what are you doing" (ya know, because he doesn't know what he's singing) and she explains that maybe it'll help if she just sings with him. This show is SO DAMN CLEVER! It works so well, Max's vocals are accompanied by full music and production, while when Zoey sings it's a cappella and sweet. This whole scene is so perfect and beautiful and here! Watch it (or rewatch it!) for yourselves! Max and Zoey come downstairs in the morning ("Maxwell, would you like some cereal?") while her entire family stares as they deduce what happened. David and Max have a wonderful interaction, and gosh I just love every character on this show. Mo gives Zoey a horrendous makeover as promised, and Max is just as smitten as ever. This show has beautiful friendships and I love them. But also Zoey should probably never let Mo near her with makeup and a hot tool ever again. Last but certainly not least, Zoey makes the decision to move some of the "Brogrammers" (who we've literally never met) up to a different floor and bring some of the girl coders down to the 4th floor so that it's more of a workplace and less like a frat house. Tobin is crushed, but hopefully he'll learn some lessons from his female colleagues. What did y'all think of the episode? Did you love it as much as I did? What was your favorite musical number? Are you scared that the love triangle will be brought back in full force next week? Let me know! XO, Em Hi, friends! And welcome to my first real This is Us recap of 2021! As you'll find out shortly, this episode did absolutely nothing for me! It was a huge waste of time and it feels particularly frustrating to have such a boring episode when we as viewers know that we are only getting six seasons of the show. I want more background on underdeveloped characters, not a filler episode where the Big Three are moody and broody and well, annoying. So, without further ado, here is my recap of Season 5 Episode 5 "A Long Road Home". Spoilers ahead, y'all! We begin by tying up some loose ends from the last episode we saw before Winter hiatus, with Kate confirming that she did in fact have an abortion at the age of 18. This is such a weird plot line to me. Katiegirl has been pregnant twice before in the span of the show: she miscarried and then she gave birth to baby Jack. Why is this abortion PTSD just now coming up? And why is she suddenly so interested in seeing what happened to her shitty ex-boyfriend? If this had happened maybe two or three seasons ago, I would buy it, but I don't. I'm annoyed and frustrated. For reasons I cannot possibly explain, Kate decides to track down Marc to see what he's up to these days and...tell him off? Listen, I can't speak for everyone, but I know for a fact that any abuser or source of negativity or cause of PTSD in my past needs to stay in the past. Marc hurt her, both physically and emotionally, and who's to say 40-something Marc wouldn't do the same? So Toby takes Kate to this place in LA where he's working (sidenote: Didn't they meet in PA? Why is he also in California?) and is outside on a smoke break. He looks the same, long hair and a creepy mustache. He doesn't immediately recognize Kate and he's not sure why she's there. Guess what, Marc? The audience doesn't know either! Kate goes off on him about how she's doing so great now and that he sucked as a boyfriend. He's like...what took you 20 years? And he has a point! Kate is MARRIED! She has a CHILD! All of this could've been said in THERAPY! Also closure isn't real and will never get you what you need. NEXT. Kevin is getting ready to leave for his movie that shoots in Canada and Madison is getting nervous. He starts talking about how often they'll travel because of his work and she really just wants to stay where they are with their family. It's a point of contention and proof that they still really don't know each other at all. BUT! Dan Fogelman lets his wife kiss Justin Hartley so I guess that's some progress on the #Kadison or #Mevin front? They interview a nanny but Madison isn't feeling it, and she also isn't feeling it when Kevin tries to give her a big Pearson speech. She tells him to go and they will figure it out soon. The babies are still two months away. Mmmk, but does Miss Madison know that a lot of times twins come ~early~. Guess not! Who wants to bet these ones do? Kevin has a flashback to when Randall called him and told him not to move to LA the first time and leave Sophie so soon after they got married. Young Kevin shoots him down and thinks he's just trying to sabotage his life and doesn't believe in him. Adult Kevin needs Randall to tell him the same thing now so he has a reason to turn around. But Randall doesn't so Kevin doesn't, and the whole thing feels very blah. Like, you're 40 years old Kev, make your own choices and stick to them. Lastly, Randall learns that his biological mother actually lived a full life, passing away in 2015 from breast cancer. This begs the question: why the weird mystery and making us think she's currently alive? I feel like they could've done a flashback episode about Laurel's life without making her not die after giving birth. Anyway, Randall gets really pissed at William (who is dead) because he lied to him, but thankfully we get a really quick resolution when Hai (the man who contacted Randall) lets him know that William had no idea Laurel survived. Randall gets a bunch of added stress from this new discovery, and him and Beth decide they're going to go and see Hai in person to get Laurel's story. Aaaaand that's gonna be the next episode. All about Laurel. It should be a good one, because the deep-dive history episodes are usually great (see: Beth's episode), but it does feel like such a weird time to learn about Laurel, but I need Randall's stress to go away ASAP. He has too much to talk about in therapy, poor guy. What did y'all think of the episode? Underwhelming? Do you disagree with me and absolutely adore it? Let me know in the comments! XO, Em It's no secret that my favorite new show of 2020 was Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. The show has everything I could possibly ask for; likable characters, musical numbers, love stories. It also doesn't shy away from the tricky topic of grief, which is what this episode is all about (and somehow it is still delightful). Honestly, I'm so pumped that this show got renewed and that we get to have more of Zoey's in our lives. If you haven't already watched Season 1, you can check it out on Hulu or on Peacock (NBC's new streaming service). Spoiler Alert: If you haven't watched the Season 2 premiere of Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, "Zoey's Extraordinary Return"...get out! Last time we saw Zoey, her father Mitch (Peter Gallagher, I miss you already!) passed away. Their relationship was a special one, so it was no surprise that months later she is still grieving this loss. Even the angelic voice of her BFF Mo singing "Rise Up" by Andra Day didn't comfort her. Zoey is in a rut. She has to return to work, but she doesn't feel ready. To make matters worse, since the death of her father she hasn't heard any 'Heart Songs', which means her musical superpowers are potentially nonexistent. As she emerges from her childhood bedroom in a magenta collared sweater, Mo declares, "You look like a sad Emma Stone Halloween costume." I can't say that he's wrong. Zoey's brother David and his wife Emily have welcomed their son into the world, a precious baby named Miles. As Zoey leaves for work Emily cries, "Say hi to a job for me!". Last season it was already clear that Emily was feeling apprehensive to motherhood, and now David feels lost without his father, so it kind of seems like the most stressful time to be welcoming a little one into the world. Also, David and Zoey's mom, Maggie, won't hold the baby. So there's that. Zoey gets coffee with her hot best friend Max, who she may or may not have made out with in the season finale. She's been avoiding everybody these days and apologizes. He gives her a ring that he made for her (not for engagement purposes!). It's a shield with a music note turned backward to look like a Z. It's probably the sweetest gift somebody has never gotten for me. If you're not #TeamMax at this point, what are you even doing? As soon as Zoey arrives at work, all of her coworkers begin serenading her with "Hello Dolly", to which she is both terrified and surprised (because she thought her powers were gone!). With her absence and Lauren Graham's Joan getting a promotion, Leif has been put in charge and now everyone has standing desks and is playing with dogs? There's even a new replacement for Max, who famously quit last season to pursue other avenues. Joan offers Zoey her job, essentially, as she is being promoted yet again and is on the move. This is sad because we LOVE Joan! Zoey has to think about it because she is hella overwhelmed at the moment. She goes to see Mo who is just causally hanging out with Max and Simon (Zoey's other love interest). Turns out with Zoey off the grid, they've all gotten pretty close. Zoey tries to hang, but can't when the boys assure her that they aren't going to be fighting over her and then break out into "Are You Gonna Be my Girl?". Zoey's head is spinning and she mostly just misses her dad, so she leaves. When she tells Mo she can hear singing again, he says, "So the powers are back! You're interesting again!" Have I mentioned how much I adore Mo? Zoey's mom is having trouble finalizing a lot of things that you finalize when someone dies, and can't seem to get into Mitch's computer. Zoey reminds her that she is literally a professional coder and does it within seconds. On his computer they find videos addressed to each of them (and David of course), recorded before Mitch's voice completely gave out. It is absolutely heartbreaking and cut short because of how difficult it is to watch and listen to, but I love seeing Peter Gallagher again. Next time Zoey goes to work, she fully loses her shit. George (the new Max) is annoying her and his heart song makes her yell at Tobin (I love Tobin) for teasing him. Joan is still pressuring her to take her job ("I like your sweater. It's so cute that you shop at Etsy.") She completely lashes out and leaves work early, going home to her bed and to be with her mother. Joan comes to visit her and explains that she is leaving, and completely understands that Zoey needs some space and time. David and Emily come over for dinner and Maggie explains that holding Miles is difficult for her because she wanted to be a grandparent with Mitch, and feels it's unfair to him that she gets to do it and he doesn't. Then, I kid you not, the opening notes of "Carry On" began to play and I said out loud to absolutely no one, "Oh no." Because, if you know this song, you know it's already super sad, but having a bunch of grieving people sing and dance to it? TEN TIMES SADDER. I then burst into tears, which was only interrupted by the fact that they let Mary Steenburgen sing a little too much and her voice is not the strongest, in my opinion. I was personally hoping Jane Levy would hop in for a verse, even if she's the only one hearing it. Lastly, Max stops by to tell Zoey about his new business venture idea him and Mo want to start, and asks her permission because Mo was Zoey's friend first. Zoey is supportive, of course. She then tells Max that she is sorry for being so absent lately, and that his scruff is super hot (she doesn't say this, but I do). She holds his hand on her bed and tells him she's had a lot of time to think about what happened the night her dad passed away and then she leans in for a kiss and I'm like WHAT. WHAT. WHAAAAAT. I only say 'what' that many times in all caps because most TV shows love to drag out their love triangles for as long as humanly possible. I honestly did not think we'd get any resolution whatsoever this early into the season, and that the boys' musical number was all the attention that would be paid to it for now. I think this decision is for the best and makes the most sense, even from my biased #TeamMax perspective. Simon is gorgeous and sweet, but I think Max is in it for Zoey in the long haul and it's so much better to just establish that now rather than go back and forth and let Zoey hurt both of them. Introduce a new character for Simon! Let's watch Zoey and Max fall in love and have a great storyline! All in all, I loved this episode and I adore this show so much. I hope it continues thriving in ratings and just being the best all around. If you haven't checked out Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, I cannot explain how badly I need you to. XO, Em Hi! So obviously this episode of This is Us aired on November 17th and it is now January 5th and I still haven't blogged about it which is just rude! Because the mid-season (is that what we're calling it?) premiere is tonight, I thought I'd come back with a short blog recapping the last episode we got before that Winter break. However, because it's been so long that I barely remember it, y'all get my Notes app version* instead. *by this I literally mean these are the things I wrote in the Notes app as the episode was airing. Usually I make a whole recap out of them but not for this one! Okay here we go: ~spoiler alert~ - Kevin overworking himself makes me sad. - This director seems like a dooooouche but he has excellent hair. - This adoption isn't gonna go well, make my words. - They named her Chloe...that ain't maybe-Haley. - Annie talking like she's a March sister LOL - Malik shadowing Randall, that's cute. Glad we got to see him and Deja interact. - Not Malik falling asleep - Yeah Ellie doesn't like that they named that baby - Rebecca babying Kevin parallel? Idk I kind of get it - Okay so Malik did not cut the cameras - Deja calls Randall 'Dad' and Beth by her name. - This scene would be more awk but SKB is fine - Jack's color is green and Becca's is pink. - Little Kevin is such a dick lmao - Why does Ellie feel so sketchyyyy - Malik is so BOLD asking for an internship - "Honestly" = doesn't mean honest - "I think I love this melted wax baby" Toby omg stop - What's wrong with Kate??? You always sad bish - This teen pregnancy thing seems out of character for Kate??? Like doesn't make sense to me and I don't buy it 5 seasons in - JACK PEARSON YOU ARE NOT AN ORDINARY MAN - Kevin still uses the flash cards :( I love that - Why did Foster send him a basket? Eh, I don't care. - Randall looking at the memes - Oh shit that one guy is gonna find him - Do you ever think about how Jack died and cry - I'm emotionaaaaaal - JANUARY 5TH? Fuck that shit. Okay! Hope y'all enjoyed that unfiltered mess! I will return with regular recaps this week, but I will always use my trusty notes app and thank it for giving us this messy AF blog post. XOXO, Em Hi, my friends. Episode 3 of This is Us's fifth season was entitled, "Changes" because things are, you guessed it, changing! And yes, this is in fact the third episode because the premiere, "Forty" was two episodes! I know what you're all thinking: I'm great at counting, and you're right! Here is your little SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't seen last night's episode of This is Us, don't read this recap! Unless you don't plan on watching it and just wanna know what happens, which I absolutely do not judge you for. Up first this week is Kate and Toby and their adoption journey. We know they have a daughter named Haley in the future, but what's the age difference between her and Jack? Was she adopted or did Kate birth her? Right now we're operating under the assumption that Haley is indeed adopted, and this week Kate and Toby meet her supposed birth mother. Her name is Ellie and she's a 33-year-old single mom. She already has one daughter, Willow, name after the character from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Ellie got pregnant with maybe-Haley after a one night stand with a guy she met after the death of her husband. She seems really cool and her and Kate get along great. HOWEVER...I am so wary of these adoption storylines. I watched it go down on Parenthood and again on A Million Little Things (actually, I quit AMLT before it got to that point, but when I read that it did, it didn't surprise me in the slightest). The adoption fakeout is a tired trope. For those who are unfamilar, it's when the birth mom finds a couple (usually main characters on the show) she wants to adopt her baby, and then at the last possible second, usually after she gives birth, she changes her mind. It's so devastating and also overused at this point. I'm really hopeful they stick with Ellie and Ellie sticks with them and gives them Haley of the future. Next up we've got Randall. Randall has a new therapist, a nice Black man with a baby. He wants Randall to recount memories of his childhood and stop trying to prove to him that he's Black despite being raised by White people. He literally says to his therapist, "Beth, my wife. My Black wife." His therapist is like, "Calm down." Also shout-out to anyone doing virtual therapy right now (therapists and clients alike). That shit is HARD! It is so different from going in person and having a real private, human conversation. So to those (like me) doing that right now, good job. Mental health is so important, especially during a global pandemic. Also in Randall-land, Tess gets in trouble at school for posting a "profane" video online with her friend. In the video, she and her friend call out a teacher who is particularly grab-y with Black students, and fails to recognize non-binary students as such. The video is done in the style of a rap/dance/thing and it's...not profane? Like I don't see the issue? Beth and Randall come down hard on Tess and then ground her for SIX WEEKS. Obviously NBC couldn't make the video worse (I guess?) because it's network television BUT there wasn't even any swearing! Or inappropriate dance moves! Poor Tess was just standing up against her weird ass teacher. I'm Team Tess on this one, guys. Oh, also Randall has a come-to-Jesus moment where he realizes that maybe Tess will turn out better than him, since she already knows who she is. But I beg the question, WHAT ABOUT POOR ANNIE? Annie girl is gonna have all of Randall's anxiety, mark my word. In flashback 90s world, Jack and Bec are dealing with the Big 3 entering puberty and oh my goodness, those little kid actors have gotten SO big. Their voices are changing and I'm sad because they used to be so freaking little! Mom and Pops take the kiddos to the doctor to see how they're growing, and then Kate has her friend Tonya and ex Stewart over for a group project. Randall sits in the living room watching TV before doing his homework when Tonya tries to kiss him because she's "always wondered what it'd be like to kiss someone like him". Yucky racism yuck. Grown-up Randall uses this story to write down and possibly tell his therapist. The scene makes me uncomfortable and sad. Fuck Tonya. Meanwhile, Kevin is trying to get buff for football. Jack takes him to the garage to work out and Bec is apprehensive because she doesn't want Kev to feel like he needs to work out or be a certain size. I mean, he's still growing after all! Last episode showed us that Rebecca didn't want her sons to have to feel male pressure from society, and this scene really drives that point home. Side note: Becca trying to be a "cool mom" is so funny. Jack and Kevin have a great moment of him teaching Kevin to lift weights, and he doesn't push him too hard. Instead, Kev pushes himself a little too hard, probably trying to prove to himself that he's a big tough guy. I did very much enjoy the wholesome Jack and Kevin content, and wish we got to see more of that. Jack was taken from those kiddos way too soon. Grown-up Kev is still battling his insecurities when he lands the job in a movie called "Glass Eye". It's about a trial lawyer who takes his shirt off? Anyway, he's still living with pregnant Madison and they're engaged I think. He tells her about the movie and how his diet has the change and she immediately shuts down. He think it's because the sex scenes. LOL. I'm SO glad they decided to finally address Madison's eating disorder while being pregnant! We watch as she wakes up before Kevin and puts on a full face of makeup before getting dressed and making him breakfast. It reminds me of one of the scenes from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, where Midge does the same so that her husband doesn't see her without makeup. It's so sad to watch Madison here, clearly so insecure about her appearance in front of the man she's seemingly engaged to. Eventually Madison breaks down, and tells Kevin she has to literally remind herself to eat for her babies. She has bulimia, which we knew but he didn't, and it almost killed her at 17. She's got a handle on it, but she hates that strangers can tell she's pregnant and that Kevin now has to have a strict diet for a movie. Kevin opens up that he's an alcoholic also battling insecurities around his appearance, and decides a trial lawyer shouldn't need to take his f'ing shirt off! They have a really sweet heart to heart and I'm still waiting for them to just KISS but I'll settle for a deeper, authentic love story right now. Lastly, at both the beginning and end of the episode there are scenes with a Vietnamese man and his granddaughter. He cooks for her and tells her he also cooked to impress the woman he love(s/d?). This is Us loves bringing in new characters all the damn time just to drop them, so I figured this was just a bookend to whatever the Pearson's were going through in this episode. But! Turns out, this guy is in love/was in love with Laurel, Randall's totally-alive-now birth mother. The end of the episode is a close-up of a picture of the Vietnamese man and Laurel, and I'm sitting here like "Oh." That's literally it. I think I'm supposed to care more, but I thought Laurel was dead for the past four seasons so I guess my heart isn't really in it. Also, that probably means Randall has a shit ton of other family members and then This is Us is just gonna turn into This is the Duggars. I mean, of course not exactly but...kind of? That's all for this week! As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments! What do we think of Ellie and adoption storylines? Do you ship Kevin and Madison? Was Tess in the wrong or were Randall and Beth "fascists" ("Did she call you a fascist?")? Do you care about Laurel's story? Tell me! XOXO, Em Oh my goodness, it's been ages since I've posted about This is Us, or television in general. Let me tell you, it is hard to find the will to be creative during Covid-times, so I just want to commend anyone who has a job requiring creativity and comedic nature at this time. It is so hard to create and laugh right now (all year, really), but here we are. I didn't write about the last couple episodes of Season Four of This is Us, mostly because school took over and then online school became a thing and then the pandemic hit and long story short: I just didn't. And I'm sorry. But I'm back now, and ready to recap the heck out of this Season Five premiere! As always, this is your Spoiler Alert Warning. *Previously on This is Us voice*: Randall and Kevin have a big fight about Mama Pearson's health! Kevin sleeps with Madison --- and knocks her up (with twins!) Kate and Toby are there! And in the far, far future their daughter (they have a daughter? Yes!) greets her brother at the hospital as his wife births their first child, Hope. Miguel is Miguel, and on the Big Three's 40th birthday, Rebecca gets lost and has an episode in a very un-Covid world. Obviously Dan Fogelman and his This is Us crew didn't really anticipate Covid, and therefore had to do some reworking with this timeline being presented to us. The first half of the episode takes place over the course of several months. We first flash back to Madison telling Kevin that she's pregnant with his babies, and they have a very obviously re-filmed conversation about the Coronavirus becoming a bigger deal. It's funny to me that they went to these lengths to remind us that Covid exists in this timeline. Randall delivers the absolute best line of the entire episode when he says, "I know who Madison is, Beth. She's literally the only friend in our entire family," upon learning that Kevin is having kids. It's true, though, none of the Pearson's have friends. Gee, I wonder why... Randall, Beth, and their kiddos watch the Black Lives Matter protests take place on television, and though it's a TV show it feels just as painful and as real as June itself. Kate calls Randall and asks which Black charities she should donate to, and it's so cringe because obviously she's trying to do the right thing but it comes across as so white savior-y, which is probably exactly the show's intention. There are several flashbacks of the Big Three's born day, August 31st, 1980. Mainly just the same as the pilot, but reshot with stuff we've never seen. Like William and Jack just missing one another in the hospital, Rebecca giving a beautiful speech about male fragility and how she hopes her son(s) can always be honest and not afraid to show their emotons, and Jack calling his dad (kind of a weird one, tbh). We also get some flashbacks of William and Laurel (Randall's biological parents) over the course of her pregnancy and untimely death. I always like seeing characters we've never really explored before, and Laurel's story has always remained relatively untold, so it was nice to hear her talk about her addiction and fear of how Randall's life would be. I also have to admit: I love Kevin and Madison together. I really do. Kevin needs to be happy and have a stable relationship for once. I love his and Sophie's story, but for me, it's over. They were each other's first loves and it has to end at that. Kevin and Zoe were kind of a bore, and I never understood what was happening between him and Cassidy. He needs an honest to goodness NEW love story, and I think he could finally have that with Madison! But if they kill her off in childbirth I SWEAR... ALSO this is just a direct message to Dan Fogelman himself: LET KEVIN HARTLEY KISS YOUR WIFE, DAMMIT! He shows shots of Kev and Madison sleeping in bed practically naked, and him touching her belly to feel the babies kicking but he won't let them KISS! What the heck! When we finally catch up to The Big Three's birthday, Kate/Toby, Kevin/Madison, and Rebecca/Miguel are headed up to the cabin for a celebration, while Randall remains sulking at home because he's still not speaking to Kev. Which, I get because they both said some awful things in their fight, but also: get it together you idiot brothers. Madison trips over her suitcase and is afraid she lost one of the babies, so Kevin and her go to the local hospital where he makes an A+ Grey's Anatomy reference, and then kind of proposes? I want a great love story, guys! Not a masked-up hospital proposal that is spur of the moment! I want him to think it THROUGH! Anywho, I think she says yes? And both their babies are fine. And he says she has "morning sickness" so the others aren't concerned, which is just another obvious rewrite but it's fine. Kate tells Rebecca that adoption isn't Amazon, which is hilarious and true. Rebecca remembers bringing Randall home the same day as her and Kevin, and everyone at home is like "yeah, that was 1980, Bec." Rebecca has her meltdown in a mask-less restaurant, and the mask-less cops bring her home. Miguel is seemingly unbothered and decides to plant some trees. After having a heart to heart with his best friend, Malik, Randall decides to go to the cabin after all. He makes sure Mama Pearson is okay, and then he and Kate have an awkward fight about her virtue signaling and he and Kevin make progress by talking about how Kev's afraid to be a girl dad (Madison is having boy/girl twins). They don't really make up, but they also don't tell each other they wish they didn't exist so, baby steps? On his way home, Randall calls his therapist (who I thought was supposed to be like super important) and tells her he can't see her anymore and that he thinks it would be better for him to have a Black therapist. I think this is an interesting storyline to explore for Randall, especially this year, as he begins to really explore how growing up in a White family has affected him. Then we get a huge bombshell dropped on us. Just when we thought we'd seen the last of Laurel, as she died of an overdose and William ran for the hills with their baby, it turns out she actually survived! This is very soap opera like, and I don't know that I totally buy/dig it. For as long as we've watched this show, Laurel has been dead. And how would Randall have never found her when he found William? How did William never realize she was alive? It all seems very messy and unrealistic, but I guess we will just have to wait and see. Also Randall was DEF born on the 30th, right? Also, for the love of all things, can we please find out how Miguel and Rebecca got together because their relationship makes NO sense to me and has never been explained yet we're bringing characters back to life! C'mon! What did y'all think of this premiere? Impressive? Sad? Surprising? Let me know in the comments! XOXO, Em Hi, friends! I'm writing this in a timely fashion for once because I'm on top of my game! Yay! Last night's episode of This is Us was a mix of really sweet moments, a really unrealistic therapy session, and lots and lots of Joni Mitchell. Let's get to it! Here's your SPOILER ALERT warning as always, if you haven't watched Season 4, Episode 15 "Clouds" I suggest going and doing that and then coming back to me! Thanks! Kate and Toby are still having marital woes, which is frustrating because nobody on this show can ever just be happy. Toby unveils a present for Kate he came up with while she was away; a music studio for her (and Jack). Instead of thanking Toby for being thoughtful, she kinda freaks the fuck out and says that a grand gesture isn't enough. I get it but also, we are EXHAUSTED, Kate. She has lunch with Madison who, after sleeping with Kevin, is suprisingly insightful. She's like, "Girl. Toby's trying. Let him try." And then mentions Kevin being the first guy who's ever really "seen" her, which I think is really special and makes me okay with them ending up together (if they do because at this point I have absolutely no idea). Kate goes back to Toby and lets him show her the part of the music studio for Jack, and then at the end we get flashforwards of Jack using it for years and years to come. I cried a little. In the early 90's, the kiddos get their report cards and Randall has a CRISIS over getting an A-. Becca wants to get him some help for his anxiety from a counselor or something but Jack assures her that he will take care of it. His solution? RUNNING. Guys, I love Jack. I always have and I always will. But it's hard to not overlook his faults as a parent, often time masked as strengths and bonding moments with his kids. I too have been told that all I needed was a little exercise when it came to managing my anxiety, but the truth is that that is not enough, and it doesn't work for everyone especially those suffering from severe anxiety like myself and Randall. We've seen in previous episodes that Randall uses running as an outlet, and in a sequence here we see him running with Jack, running as a teenager without Jack, and running as an adult. Jack was a good dad. Jack didn't understand the severity of his son's issues. So after all these years, Randall is going to therapy, and his therapist sucks. We don't see her face until the end of the episode, probably for dramatic effect and so we're more focused on Randall during the therapy session itself, but good god, she's awful. As someone who has gone to therapy for almost ten years, this is NOT how all therapists are. For one, she knows his story because she's heard his speeches, meaning she has preconceived notions about Randall before even meeting him, and she doesn't make him comfortable (ESPECIALLY IN A FIRST SESSION) she pokes and prods and just lets him ramble without being reassuring or gentle. Huge dislike, I don't blame Randall for wanting to quit. But the best scene for Randall comes at the end between him and Beth, where she empties her purse and reveals that she carries pepper spray when closing her dance studio at night, takes doctor prescribed sleeping pills because she can't sleep, and bought Annie an iPhone because after the break-in she's terrified of not being able to contact her daughter. It just goes to show that everyone is hurting, and it persuades Randall to give his awful therapist a second chance. The guy needs therapy but not with this woman! Yuck! While Randall is getting his therapy on, Kevin takes it upon himself to spend the day with his mother, who is about to get results from her MRI. Spoiler alert: It looks like our Bec is gonna have Alzheimer's :(. They go shopping at the record store and then on a L.A. road trip to find Joni Mitchell's old house, something Jack and Becca tried to do back in the day. In flashbacks, pre-teen Kevin and Rebecca go scowering for baseball cards after getting groceries, Kev's reward for his two A's on his report card. He buys 14 packs for eight dollars, chew 60-second lasting gum, and Mama Pearson puts her magic touch on one pack to get Kevin the card he desires; a 1991 Jack Candelaria. They find Ms. Mitchell's house and Becca sings "Our House" as she sees it up close for the first time, a scene that perfectly mirrors her singing it to Jack (and failing to get him to sing along). Kevin looks so happy to see his mama happy, and oh no, I'm crying again. I still don't understand how we've gone four seasons without an explanation as to how and why Miguel and Bec ended up married, but it breaks my heart to see the side by side of Jack and Rebecca having movie night and snuggling compared to Miguel and Rebecca. Something will just never be right. Rebecca tells Kevin that his fun spirit never gets lost upon her, and as Kevin reflects back on that day with his mom in the 90's, he goes to a pawn shop and buys a 1991 Jack Candelaria card for two dollars and keeps it in his wallet. Ouch my heart hurts. Episodes like these remind me how much heart this show has, and that it doesn't have to be over the top to create tear-inducing moments. So often I feel like the writers/creators hype it up too much, so you're expecting more tears or plot twists. "Clouds" reminds us that small moments can have big impacts, and that life is fragile, but Joni Mitchell is timeless. What did y'all think? Are you sad we have to wait two weeks for another episode? How do you feel about Rebecca's diagnosis? Was I too hard on Randall's therapist (NO!)? Do you think Kate and Toby back on track now? Let me know in the comments! XOXO, Em |